Tires for WFO

[FJRocket]

Since I didn't get the wear out of my rear Storm like I figured, then got a puncture in it when on a little run to Colorado, I had Grand Prix Motorsports in Littleton strip off my rear tire and put on fresh. Great guys and a super place, by the way. They only sell Dunlop tires, so I got stuck with a D220ST. They put me at the head of the line, and put it on while I waited. I was out the door in about 1 hour. SWEET!

As many tire threads as there might be on this board, I really haven't much about Dunlops. So far, after about 1500 miles of easy touring and slogging (not wicking) on the slab, the Dunlop has held up well. In fact it's just beginning to show wear. Anyone have experience with the D220ST? The first 500 miles I put on it were in the mountains in Colorado. I wasn't riding that hard, but the tire felt really good. Of course just about any new tire feels great, especially when you're just waiting for the one you just had to blow out at any moment...

The Storm on the front of my AE is toast. It has just under 9K on it and has worn out it's welcome. I am VERY impressed with the wear and feel of this tire. In fact, I've decided that the Storm is now going to be my standard front tire. I had a Metzler that had about the same amount of miles, ridden about the same way, and it was dangerous at this same point in it's life. The front Storm on the other hand is going to stay in my garage for one of those "just in case" situations. The tire is too worn to start a trip on, but if someone needed a tire to get home on, I wouldn't hesitate to mount it and ride it for a good distance.

I jumped on SW Moto and ordered a pair of Storms for the front. I still have a spare Pirelli Strada E for the rear, so I decided to get another one for a spare spare. I got pretty good wear out of the Pirellis before, so I thought I would stick with what I know.. for now anyway.

So a new Storm coming for the front, it's definitely getting changed. I only have 1500 miles on the Dunlop on the rear. What would you guys do? Strip off the rear and put on fresh for a trip that will be about 5K in duration? Or just go ahead and use up the Dunlop (which is my thought)? It seems that if I ride hard enough, 5K is about all I might get out of a rear tire. But this trip is going to be a lot of slabbing at more sedate speeds. I'm thinking I should be fine leaving the rear tire alone, and save the nice new fresh round Pirellis for the twisties when I get back from WFO.

What would you do?

 

[sprint_st]

Today I put just under 200 miles on my new set of Shinko Ravens. I did not push them as hard in the turns as I did the Storms, yet; but, did take the scum off right out to the edge. If these guys get the mileage they are supposed to, they will be my primary tire and I will probably get something softer for short range, pure twisty types of events. Before I got them I got feedback from a Triumph Sprint RS driver whom I think highly of and he is on at least his second set. I also got a report from a guy who did a lot of pro-racing although I did not know him personally. Both had only positive things to say about the Ravens. If you are primarily a commuter or long distance tourer, the Raven should be number one in your tire test program.

 

[madmike2]

Matt, IIRC those Dunlops are OEM for the ST1300. I think the D205s are for the ST1100 and the Connie. You should be okay if you want to run that tire. Some owners don't want to mix "brands" but others have done so and not posted any dire problems or issues. And you have stated you are not going to try and "push limits" with the bike, so why not save a few $$$ instead of tossing the tire.

Next opinion!?!? :blink:

 

[wheatonFJR]

Rocket, in the heat out there and a 5k trip....I would start fresh. You do have a NoMar right? I would strip off the Dunlop and use the new one for the trip and put the Dunlop on when the WFO tire got bare.

my .02

 

[Charlie Hoss]

Since you only have 1500 miles on it, I would use up the D220.

I have about 6100 miles on my rear Strada, most of the miles have been vertical and there is a serious flat area down the center, very little wear on the side tread. Center wear is hard to judge on the Stradas so I gotta get new rubber for WFO. I would ANYWAY with 6K+ miles.

I was impressed with Haulin' Ashe's road test of the ME880 and may go that route since I'm in for a lot of miles on the superslab.

 

[HaulinAshe]

I have about 5,000 on the rear ME880, which is a LOT for me. Just touched some of the wear bars in the center today. So it looks like it would go the 6,000 mile distance as expected. Keeping things in perspective, that's 140% of Stradas, 130% of Pilot Roads, and a whoping 200% of Metzeler Z6s (for me).

I'm actually going to have to pull that tire and use my spare rear wheel with the new Strada already mounted for the WFO trip.

Whatever you do, just please Please PLEASE, do not pair the ME880 rear with a ME880 front or other hard compound front like a PR. IMO you would create a potentially hazardous combination because you give up too much braking grip. The ME880 runs like a dream when paired with a good gripping front like a Strada, Storm, Z6 etc.

 

[sprint_st]

Matt, IIRC those Dunlops are OEM for the ST1300. I think the D205s are for the ST1100 and the Connie. You should be okay if you want to run that tire. Some owners don't want to mix "brands" but others have done so and not posted any dire problems or issues. And you have stated you are not going to try and "push limits" with the bike, so why not save a few $$$ instead of tossing the tire.
Next opinion!?!? :blink:

Connie drivers used to replace the stock K5xx with D205's then the D220 was supposed to replace them but at first they didn't make a D220 for the front or rear, don't remember any more. What I do remember is they cupped like mad and when I moved to a Z4 it was like getting a new bike. The Dunlops were the least confidence inspiring tire on that Connie I ever had.

 

[FJRocket]

Well, I removed the Storm from the front last night. Upon closer inspection, the 8.5K Storm is starting to cup quite a bit. Just on the right. After I got back from Colorado, my steering stem nut was loose, so I had to tighten that up. Man, that front end was starting to rattle pretty good. Anyway, the Storm wasn't in nearly the shape I thought it was, so it's going in the trash.

 

[FJRocket]

Not that anyone is interested, but here's what I put on my AE for the trip to WFO:

And if you want a better look at the tread:

 

[UweRoss]

I doubt it's possible to get 5000 miles out of a D220 on an FJR. A buddy of mine tours on an '06 ZZR600 -- a MUCH lighter bike. Here's what his D220 looked like with 5000 miles on it:

4500 of those miles were put accumulated while he was accompanying me on my V-Strom or my FJR, so I know for a fact that they weren't "hard" miles, just easy touring.

-Uwe-